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Archived This topic has been archived. Information and links in this thread may no longer be available or relevant. If you have a question create a new topic by clicking here and select the appropriate board.
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Trying to fix my issue with the same printer and loud pre-print noise. I've only had it for about a year but print often. It looks like from this forumn that hp just doesn't care about helping here and just wants more of our money for a new printer. Problem is I just bought new cartridges for the printer. Don't think I can get my money back for open cartridges. Hp support needs to respond to me or I will just get a Brother or Epson product.

HP Recommended

I've had my printer for less than a year and this happening. You either need to give a new response to fix the issue or send me a new one. This is unacceptable.

HP Recommended

Hi...about the clacking, clicking, aka machine gun noise. The person who said their daughter said it may be the ink buildup, and that she found ink globs that were pulled out, etc...i think she may be on to something. I have an HP Photosmart b-209a-m and use it for graphic printing everyday.

To the far right of my printer was a puddle/pool of ink from where the cartridge roller goes to the right to get a printer head clean i believe they call it. Anyway, that area over that way was not only flooded with ink, but the little pieces of plastic that also move while the heads are being somewhat cleaned were very sticky; thus when the cartridge roller thingy was  over that way, you would hear that clacking machine gun noise, possibly getting stuck for a few seconds.

Long story short...try cleaning that ink junk outta there along with cleaning those movable and stationary plastic parts that are sticky. Q-tips and something to suck up that ink gunk buildup. Anyway, good luck everyone that has this same issue!

P.S. If there is another (better) sucessful solution to the machine gun clatter, please write us here!

Thanks,


Alfies Designer Shoppe 

HP Recommended

If you follow this guide you do so entirely at your own risk

 

I have cleaned all the areas in the printer that I could reach but as per some posts I too found no solution to the clicking sound

 

Aware that the elements were out of sync and the printer was a noisy item about to fail - so about to be a brick - I decided to take a risk.....holding a sheet of paper so making the rollers move against the pressure I applied to hold the paper, so stopping it entering the paper path....thinking that this may place the gears back in sync.

 

Note - ALL other efforts, cleaning sensors, bars, ink tray etc had failed....

 

so now the clicking sound is gone and the print page diagnostics is all clear.  

 

Maybe I got lucky that the gearing got close to its default postion and the logic in the device corrected itself as I have to say I am pleased with HP kit as I have many PCs and devices from the same source and this printer has had years of service.  Good luck but beware - this is a risky ask/process and I am not a qualifited printer engineer, yes an ex BBC studio engineer, so I guess I am used to trying to find a rapid solution when recommended routes fail. 

HP Recommended

Solved!!! This requires some surgical work on your part and since the printer is basically a brick at this point it's probably worth a try.

 

1) Unplug the brick

2) Open the cartridge door on the front

3) Remove the cartridges

4) Behind the cartridges is a floating panel on the top of which sits the "wipers" that clean the cartridges. This is the source of the "machine gun" noise and is a nonessential part. Below the moving panel (it slides forward and back) is a small white cogwheel (that's likely stained with ink) that moves the floating panel forward and backward. For whatever reason this cogwheel has decided to continue to turn after the upper panel is already in the docked position. The wheel cranking on the floating panel is the source of the "machine gun noise.

5) I simply lighted the interior with a flashlight, lifted the panel with a lever (I used a metal rod), then snapped the cogwheel in half with needle-nose pliers. I removed the cogwheel from the unit (brick) and threw it away. The shaft of the cogwheel now simply spins in space and the "machine gun" noise is gone. Printer still prints perfectly fine when plugged back in. Keep in mind this will make the "cleaning the heads" option nonfunctional in the future, and I imagine perhaps some ink might build up or smear on the cartridges in the future but simply removing them and wiping them occasionally should solve this problem.

6) Reinsert cartridges and plug back in. Noise gone upon warm up and during printing.

 

Hopefully our printer is functional again. And the shame of the situation is I bought two of these at the same time. The other one bricked about a year back from the same issue and I just tossed it and bought a Canon. But this one continues to roll after some quick surgery. Took about 20 minutes.

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